The Credit Professional Fall 2015 | Page 30

Tips for Using Public Wi-Fi Networks By the Federal Trade Commission Wi-Fi hotspots in coffee shops, libraries, airports, hotels, universities, and other public places are convenient, but often they’re not secure. If you connect to a Wi-Fi network, and send information through websites or mobile apps, it might be accessed by someone else. To protect your information when using wireless hotspots, send information only to sites that are fully encrypted, and avoid using mobile apps that require personal or financial information. How Encryption Works How to Tell if a Website Encryption is the key to keeping Is Encrypted your personal information secure online. Encryption scrambles the information you send over the internet into a code so it’s not accessible to others. When you’re using wireless networks, it’s best to send personal information only if it’s encrypted — either by an encrypted website or a secure Wi-Fi network. If you send email, share digital photos and videos, use social networks, or bank online, you’re sending personal information over the internet. The information you share is stored on a server—a powerful computer that collects and delivers content. Many websites, like banking sites, use encryption to protect your information as it travels from your computer to their server. sign-in page, but if any part of your session isn’t encrypted, your entire account could be vulnerable. Look for https on every page you visit, not just when you sign in. What About Mobile Apps? Unlike websites, mobile apps don’t have a visible indicator like https. Researchers have found that many mobile apps don’t encrypt information An encrypted website protects properly, so it’s a bad idea to only the information you send use certain types of mobile apps to and from that site. A secure on unsecured Wi-Fi. If you plan wireless network encrypts all to use a mobile app to conduct To determine if a website is the information you send using encrypted, look for https at the sensitive transactions—like that network. start of the web address (the “s” filing your taxes, shopping with a credit card, or accessing your is for secure). Some websites bank account—use a secure use encryption only on the Continued on page 31 The Credit Professional 30 October 2015